It's Not the Critic Who Counts by Pastor Karena Lout

I’ve been really impacted by this quote by Theodore Roosevelt; “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself on a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve fallen down many times. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’m actually okay with that because I know I wouldn’t grow otherwise. We tend to spotlight our failures and minimize the great courage it actually took to step into the “arena”.  Sometimes the loudest voice we hear is the voice of criticism; whether it’s our own thoughts or the shouts of others. I’ve been criticized and I’ve also been the critic. Criticism is the easier road because it requires nothing from you. It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and point out a problem. But it takes great courage and vulnerability to step into the arena. In Numbers 13, Moses sends out 12 tribal leaders to scout out the land of Canaan, their Promised land. They checked it out to see what the land was like, if it was inhabitable and what kind of enemies they were up against. They report back to Moses that the land is fruitful but there’s giants living there that they can’t overthrow. So the Israelites began yelling and complaining and grumbling. They couldn’t see a way out and end up in the wilderness. The reality was that they could overthrow their enemies. Caleb and Joshua were confident they could conquer the land.  “But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.” Numbers 14:24. Perspective is everything. Some see a problem, while others see an opportunity. If you are presented with a problem, it’s usually because you hold the answer, the promise. We are living in some pretty intense times. We don’t need to ignore that problems exist. But Jesus is calling us as sons and daughters to survey the land, access the damage and He will give us solutions to remedy some things. Sons and daughters take ownership. You really do have what it takes to step into the arena. Jesus will give you grace when you mess up and courage to get back up when you fall. I pray the loudest voice you hear will be the voice of truth and encouragement. You got this!                                                     Cheering you on, Karena